Aurora's new police headquarters opens

January 11, 2010

Aurora's new police headquarters opened for business today at 1200 Indian Trail in the northeast part of town, but one thing will stay the same: 911 is the emergency phone number.

The new facility, built starting in 2006 with a price tag of nearly $110 million, will be the place to go for any police-related business in Aurora, including traffic court, according to a release from the city. The building opened at 8 a.m..

Entry to the complex for the public is off Indian Trail Road. Anyone with police-related business should enter the building's east side; for court-related business, enter the west side.

The old police station, which is about 3.5 miles away at 350 N. River St. on the other side of the Fox River, will be demolished once it's emptied, according to Dan Ferrelli, the public information director for the city. It was built in 1966, when the department had 87 officers and 15 civilian employees, Today, it has 301 officers and 100 civilian employees, Ferrelli said.

The new facility, built on 26 acres, includes the main police headquarters, a 911 emergency center, a Kane County branch court and a jail with a capacity for 118 people.

Like 911, the non-emergency number for the department (630-859-1700) will be unchanged for a while. Ferrelli said Saturday that there will be a new non-emergency number announced sometime this week, but that both the new number and the old number will be active for a while, perhaps for up to two months.